ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Hartwick Women's Basketball team returned to Lambros after a Friday night road contest, taking down the Wildcats on Senior Day.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: SUNY Poly 54 Hartwick 60

• Location: Utica, N.Y.

• Records: SUNY Poly (2-14, 1-6 Empire 8) Hartwick (4-12, 2-6 Empire 8) 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Before tip-off, the Women's Basketball program recognized their lone senior, Daniella DeBiase (Staten Island, N.Y.).

• The Hawks prepared to defend home court against new Empire 8 member, SUNY Poly, getting on the board first as Emma Cohen (Utica, N.Y)  drove into the paint, forcing the defense to crash. Cohen split the defense with a bounce pass to an open Natalie Vredenburgh (Delhi, N.Y.) for the score.

• DeBiase opened up her Senior Day with a pull-up jumper from the elbow for her first two points, following up with two more points from the charity stripe.

• SUNY Poly secured their first lead of the game with a little under four minutes left until Niamh Kelly (Latham, N.Y.) connected on back to back buckets to swing the Hawks back in front.

• Cohen kept up the pressure, draining a three point jumper with two minutes left in the first quarter.

• Macy Durkin (Syracuse, N.Y.) pulled down the defensive board and pushed the pace with under a minute left. Durkin corralled her own miss and connected on the putback as the first came to a close with the Hawks up three.

• Vredenburgh picked up the first bucket of the quarter once again, this time with a fastbreak layup to keep the three point cushion.

• Durkin connected on the jumper from downtown to put the Hawks up six. After a scoreless two minutes, Poly hit a three pointer to cut the lead in half.

• Yadi Smith (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) was quick to answer back with a three pointer of her own, putting the lead back to six with five minutes left in the half.

• The three point barrage continued as Syd Delisle (Mechanicville, N.Y.) drained her first three pointer of the night.

• Carrying a seven point lead at the start of the third quarter, Coach Lombard's squad looked to maintain their pace and stay ahead. Smith connected on her second three pointer to open the third quarter.

• Durkin continued to wreak havoc on both ends, contributing to the first seven points including jumping the passing lane for a steal and score, ending with an assist to Delisle after the back to back buckets.

• Kelly was next to swoop into the passing lanes, deflecting the pass and snagging the loose ball for the score as the lead swelled to nine, ending the third quarter with that cushion.

• DeBiase opened up the fourth quarter with a deep three pointer to put the Hawks up 12.

• Cohen connected on consecutive baseline jumpers as Hartwick grabbed their biggest lead of 16 points.

• The Royal Blue and White held off the Wildcats' comeback attempts, with Cohen, Durkin, Smith and Vredenburgh sinking free throws to seal the game.

• Durkin picked up her second consecutive double-double, leading the way with 14 points and 12 rebounds, as well as hitting a new personal best in back to back nights, collecting six assists.

• Cohen poured in 12 points, Smith added in eight, and DeBiase connected for seven points on her Senior Day.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks will head to Russell Sage for a 5:30 tip-off against the Gators on Tuesday, January 28th in Albany, NY.

About Hartwick College:

Hartwick, often referred to as The Life Balance College, is a private liberal arts and sciences institution in Oneonta, N.Y. Through its distinctive FlightPath approach, Hartwick blends academic excellence, career preparation and an active campus life to help students achieve a balanced and fulfilling college experience. With transparent tuition and a focus on health and wellness, Hartwick prepares students for lifelong success—both professionally and personally.